B: TAS: Dopplegänger Knights
by Tharpdevenport
Summary: Clayface returns, but what about his mind? COMPLETED.
1. Default Chapter

Batman: The Animated Series  
"Dopplegänger Knights"  
  
Bruce sits down at his long stretch dinner table. Candelabras are lit and the sun has recently set.  
Alfred walks in holding a dinner tray with one hand. It is covered with a lid and a clean white rag is draped over his forearm.  
"Here you are sir. A little overdone, but not so much so."  
"Thank you Alfred. Has Dick called in yet?"  
"Master Grayson has said to inform you he shall be tardy to this meal. He is on a date with that Jennifer girl and are taking in a motion picture."  
"He's been courting her for a while now. And Alfred," Wayne says.  
"Yes, sir?"  
He smiles, "We call then movies now."  
Alfred lifts a half smile, "Yes, sir," and walks to the end of the table to place down dinnerware for Robin.  
Bruce puts his hands down and looks up at the darkening sky.  
"It's a beautiful night out Alfred. You can see the stars shinning."  
"Yes, particularly that one sir," Alfred looks out and then at Bruce. Bruce looks to the left out the window. He sees nothing special and then leans in over the table. Still nothing. He pushes himself back, wipes his mouth clean and stands up. He walks over to Alfred.  
The Bat-symbol lights up the clouds in the sky.  
Dick walks in and sees his food prepared and waiting.  
"Food. I'm starving," he sits down and picks up a fork.  
"Dick, get ready," Bruce grabs the back of his shirt and hoists him up. Robin drops the fork on the table.  
"What gives?" he asks.  
"Alfred, keep it warm for me," he walks off.  
"Right away sit," and walks to the other side of the table.  
Dick watches him. He scratches his head and then looks right out the window seeing the Bat-call.  
"Oh."  
  
Commissioner Gordon and Bullock stand on top the police head quarters waiting.  
Bullock fiddles with a toothpick in his teeth.  
"Well, I guess he's not going to show," says Gordon.  
"And that's a bad thing?" mouths off Bullock.  
"Let's shut it off," Gordon walks over to the wall mounted power breaker and switches it off.  
Bullock looks at the search light unit. As the bright light dissipates and his eyes adjust to the darkness again, the dark silhouette of Batman appears. His eyes seemingly glowing white.  
"Jesus!" says Bullock in shock.  
Gordon turns around to see Batman, "Glad you could come."  
"Slow night," Batman replies.  
"Geez, he's like the freakin' Spider-Man coming out of these shadows."  
"Lieutenant, show some respect," orders Gordon.  
"Yeah, what ever."  
"I take it something is amiss," comments Batman.  
"The Lieutenant here stumbled upon something unusual earlier. Tell him."  
"Right, so I was doing some early Christmas shopping. You know, get it out of the way now so ya don't have to deal with the no-good holiday people?  
I'm walking by this Health Food store in the mall and this kid comes bolting outta there and this guy comes out yelling at the kid. I tell him I'm a police officer and he says the kid robbed him. So, anyways, I go chasing after the brat and as I'm running I see the same kid run out of Radio Shack. Same kid, different cloths.  
I grab the kid by the arm and it like, melted and went back to normal.  
The kid took off and I lost track of them ... I chased their sorry butts for several minutes until they just up and disappeared. Like that," he snaps his finger.  
"Clayface," says Batman.  
"That's what I thought. But I thought he couldn't maintain separating like that. He always re-coalesces," says Gordon.  
"He can, but the pieces dry up and die. The cells die and he is unable to reabsorb the remnants," replies Batman.  
"So, are ya saying we got another play dough man on our hands?" asks Bullock.  
Batman doesn't answer.  
"That bastard Daggett might have ruined some other poor soul's life when he saw Clayface's near invincibility," comments Gordon.  
"That Daggett character is gonna get what's coming to him one of these days," Bullock throws down the toothpick.  
"Maybe we should send out someone to go question Roland and..."  
They both look. Batman is gone.  
"One of these days I'm gonna figure out how he does that."  
  
Roland Daggett sits at his desk. His office is dark and he is watching the Gotham Mall Security Camera Footage. He stops and rewinds to watch again.  
Without looking away he speaks, "I heard you coming. Money may not buy me happiness, but it sure does afford me rather decent security."  
Batman steps out from the shadows.  
"Watching your handy work..."  
"You know, I should call the police. This is trespassing. Not even you my friend are above the law."  
Batman moves in and picks up the phone and sets it next to Daggett's left hand. He throws down a dime, "Here, it's on me. Do you want to inform them of your dummy company in Sacramento, or shall I?"  
Roland rolls his eyes toward Batman's face.  
"I assume you came here for a reason."  
"Care to explain the tape?" inquires Batman.  
"Twins ... what? You know good and well when separated from his mass the clay dries up. Did it ever occur to you he was just impersonating some child?"  
Batman moves in close. His cape wraps around his body, "If you're lying..."  
"Why would I do a thing like that," he stands up and squeezes past Batman to walk a bit, "you know there was a court order to stop processing Re-New-U and inspectors inserted into the plant. I can't open another plant, or buy the certain ingredients without some lab loitering scientist checking over the papers. I hope you are happy. Daggett Industries employs over 500 people. That's nearly 5% of this cities population and I can't open another plant and provide Gotham job growth."  
"I would be happy if no one worked for you. Dirty money and seedy business dealers form a poor foundation for a company," Batman replies.  
"So, that's it? You came here to gloat. See me a broken man and revel in my misery? You can take your pointy eared black mask and cape, find the spot where the sun doesn't shine and shove it as far up as it will go!"  
Batman walks over to Daggett. Daggett turns about and Batman lifts him by his shirt collar. He eyes Daggett with curbed malice.  
"You going to stare at me all night boy scout?" asks Daggett.  
  
Next scene Batman has Daggett hanging by his feet from a black wire outside the high-rise office building.  
"All right. As much I despise your deplorable methods, I can't very well hand here all night. What exactly do you want to know?" calls out Daggett.  
"Is Clayface working for you?"  
"What? Don't tell me the great dark knight doesn't know," says Daggett.  
Batman lets the chord slip momentarily. He grasps it firmly and when it pulls taut, Daggett's head snaps down.  
"Okay! I have neither sought, nor employed Clayface since the trial."  
"Good ... did you create another test subject?"  
"No, you crazy? It would be too hard to keep it in check. As far as I am concerned, Re-New-U was a financial disaster."  
"Is that all? Batman asks.  
"While would I hold anything back?"  
Believing Roland told the truth, Batman bends up, "Thanks," and walks away out of sight.  
"You're not going to just leave me here? Batman! Come back here!" he struggles to bend upwards for the wire, but fails, "the blood is rushing to my head. Agh! Batman!!!"  
  
On Daggett's office door Batman has hung a "Do Not Disturb" sign.  
  
Robin sits in the Batmobile listening to the police scanner. He finally gets bored and turns the station to some music.  
A few seconds later the lid slides open and Batman lands in the driver's seat.  
Robin turns the channel back.  
"Anything?" questions Batman.  
"Nothing unusual. Pretty quite. So, what did the commissioner say?"  
"It's Clayface.  
  
"Now what?" asks Robin.  
The lid shuts and Batman starts the Batmobile.  
"Now we wait. We'll hear something eventually," he puts it into drive and takes off abruptly. Robin's head whacks against the seat. He feels it with his hands.  
"You know, I wish you'd stop doing that," says Robin.  
Batman smirks.  
"You just wait until I get the Robinmobile – then we'll see how funny it is."  
"Don't hold your breath."  
The Batmobile zooms down the street of the dark Gotham City. Papers and dirt are kicked up in it's wake. 


	2. Chapter 2

Clayface oozes through a broken window pane. The clay slowly reconstitutes into the erect posture it originally was in.

He lumbers through the empty building 'till he reaches a certain room. One in there he starts up a portable power generator. The lights in the room flicker on & off until they sustain illumination and grow brightly, slowly.

His chest ripples slowly until an electronic device emerges from his mass.

He reaches for a screw driver from the other side of the room and once had, he starts unscrewing nails from the casing of the stolen item.

He hears a noise and stops to listen. Someone is approaching. He morphs his left hand into a long, sharp point and awaits.

The light he had started in the room masked the intruder's shadow. Another man of clay emerges from the darkness. Clayface relents on his stance. The broad shoulders of clay go back & forth as the mass approaches.

"Did you get it?" barks Clayface.

"I did, but…"

"Agh, enough with your butts! Do you want to stay like this forever?!"

The other clay man places the stolen object on the table and speaks, "But at what cost? Just taking what we want isn't right. You must know that."

Clayface turns around and his outer clay vibrates as he yells, "_**And this is?!**_"

"I'm not saying that, but sooner or later Batman will come into the picture. He could help. We need not go down this path. He's a man of his word. If he says he'll help, he'll will."

"Do you want to be indebted to that man? A man who won't even show himself for what he really is? How can he help us? He can't even help himself," he looks back down and continues taking out the last of the screws.

"Did you find the parts?" asks the other man of clay.

Clayface removes the casing and pulls out a circuit board. He holds it up for the other to see, "This is what freedom looks like. Get the mixture ready," his eyes wonder as he thinks, while disassembling the item he brought in.

Clayface's mind goes back in time; colors are faded and the imagery appeared in a soft glow.

"But … I've been with the studio for over ten years! My pictures have been some of the highest grossing you've ever had!"

"I'm sorry Matt; times are changing, and so are your looks. Other studios are casting younger actors and drawing in bigger crowds. We have to stay competitive," replies a man from a big, carved, wooden desk; name plate in gold.

Matt feels his face and puts his left hand out, open in an expression of helplessness, "They're just a couple of face lines. And when this next picture is done, I'll be able to get some sleep and the bags will dissipate. Don't do this to me – this is my career!"

"There's always plastic surgery," he reclines back, fiddling with papers, not giving Matt his full attention.

"You know that can cast a lot and the results can sometimes be damaging," replies Matt.

"The days of Audrey Hepburn and Dimitri Tiomkin are over. It's time to realize that. After your current picture is wrapped, we're releasing you from our contract."

"Please Mr. Lagonstein," says Matt.

The door to Lagonstein's office opens and the receptionist speaks, "Mr. Lagonstein, you have a 1:00 lunch meeting with Mr. Reeve."

"Ah, yes. Sorry, Matt, I got to go," he gets up, puts some papers in his briefcase, and heads out.

Matt turns around, "_**Please!!!**_"

He watches the door shut and focuses on the doorknob; it transforms into a button with the word "OFF" underneath it; his mind now back in the current.

"AHG!!!" Clayface throws the piece across the room violently.

…

Batman sits in his chair in front of the massive computer. He puts two circuit boards in a circle on the computer station to his right; red lighted grids appear and blue laser lights shine down, scanning the objects.

"Computer, analyze the electrical components; can the two be combined to form weapon circuitry?"

The computer makes some noises and clicks and buttons lights up and a blue glowing picture of the pieces flash across the screen, "Negative. Minimal tactical value," it replies in it's male voice.

"Hum," he puts a hand over his mouth while examining the screen.

"Problem, sir?" asks Alfred, pretending to dust, but really spying for interest.

"The pieces Clayface stole don't seem to be of any use."

"Maybe they are part of a bigger picture."

"Perhaps. Computer, total electrical current capacity of the combined units."

"Analyzing. Maximum tolerance, 50 volts."

"Would not the more perplexing question be _how_ to find a man who can assume the appearance of anyone of his choosing?" asks Alfred.

"That's the easy one. Daggett ruined Matt Hagen's life permanently; Clayface will come to him."

"Bruce!" says Dick, who comes running out of the elevator, in his regular attire.

Batman gets up, "What is it, Dick?"

"Bat symbol's lit up."

Batman pulls the cowl over his head, "It would be nice if he assumed the form of an innocent man, for once."

Batman heads to get his belt while Dick retrieves his costume.

"Not so easy a form to take," comments Alfred.


	3. Chapter 3

Gordon, Bullock and a dozen officers stand atop the roof of Police Headquarters.

A loud sound of electrical power being cut fills the air. The bat-symbol fades out.

Gordon looks over at the switch and squints, "Who shut that off? Batman, is that you?"

"You didn't even give me time to eat," says Batman as he slips out of a shadow.

"Probably doesn't even eat; just sucks the souls of evil doers," Bullock says and dances his fingers in the air to symbolize creepiness.

"What's up?"

"I'll be damned if this isn't a first, but look what showed up at our doorstep," Gordon waves to the guards. They bring a figure out from the shadows.

Batman assumes a defensive posture, "_**Clayf**__**a**__**ce!**_"

"Hold on a second! He calls himself Clayman. Says he split from the other one," says Jim.

Clayman steps forward and speaks, "I mean no harm. Three months ago Clayface finished a high-frequency radio wave chamber. He had hoped he could kill the genetic structure of the Renu-U compound. Unfortunately he didn't account for the fact the compound had seeped into our genetic structure. It even split our memory engrams."

"A gruesome two-some," comments Bullock.

"So, one of you is Dr. Jekyll and the other Dr. Hyde?" asks Gordon.

"Yes," replies Clayman.

Batman speaks, "So, what are the components for?"

"To reassemble the chamber. The splitting was violent and we lost our ability to control our shape; it was shattered."

"If only the Joker made it this easy," Gordon says offhand.

"You know, "says Clayman, "I actually played Dr. Jekyll once in one of my earlier films."

"What's to stop you both from splitting again?" asks Batman.

"He's created a chemical compound that causes the Renu-U atoms to attract each other."

"Your bodies yes, but your minds … it may not be possible to reintegrate them. Matt could be left with bouts of insanity," cautions Batman.

"I thought of that. But without my angry side, I can never truly feel injustice, nor can I fight with heart; and without good, Clayface is just as good as insane. We need each other."

"What about Daggett?"

"He plans to put him in the chamber and set the frequency until the point he cocks," replies Clayman.

Bullock exclaims, "Geez! Whatever happened to the days of good ol' wackin'?"

Batman looks briefly at Bullock, thinking something similar, then back of Clayman, "Why are you telling us this?"

"I want to help," he looks down.

"There'll be other movies," comes a voice.

The view fades to a blond lady; the color is dull and the soft light shun on her hair as she stood in front of a window. She walked away and he followed passed it; Gotham City high rises in the background.

"But none of them will have me as the star!"

"Matt, not every film needs to have you as the center of focus."

"Patricia, honey, all my life I was nothing when I wanted so badly to be otherwise. Now I am, and they're ripping the shirt off my back," he clenches a fist and it shakes with his rage, "and tossing me aside. When a studio like them drops me, I'll be lucky to get some two-bit part in a low-budget serial!"

"Matt … I'm leaving you."

"Why?" he tries to put his hands on her arms. She pulls away and folds them.

"Five years ago you were different. These films have made you ill tempered, tired, and I rarely see you. I look into your eyes and I see someone else. More importantly, that someone doesn't seem to see me."

"I'll do fewer films a year. But can you blame me? I've lost my last three roles to young punks who couldn't act their way out of a cardboard prop. And my co-stars keep getting younger. So I'm a little on edge – but I have a good reason to be."

"I'm won't be here when you get back; Delilah is letting me stay over. When you've found yourself again," she puts her right palm on his face and looks into his eyes, "let me know," and she walks off into the bedroom to pack.

Clayface's eyes water; he puts down a screw driver. Aside him the nearly complete radio wave chamber. His face quickly morphs into the back of his head after hearing a noise. Clayman emerges.

"You're late."

"They chased me; I couldn't find a safe place to morph."

"_**Do you have it!!!**_" with a tone of impatience boarding on insanity.

The hardware ripples out of Clayman's body. He takes hold of it and places it on the table next to the screw driver.

"All we need is some shielding and another unit and the chamber will be active again. So close!" he makes a fist and it grows bigger; little flares of clay shot off it, like flares on the sun.

"If we kill him, she'll never forgive us," warns Clayman.

"Then someone had better keep his mouth shut," and Clayface starts unscrewing nails out of the new unit.

…

Bats fly by with echoing squeaking. Down below Robin stands by Batman.

"I still don't understand why you're helping him. He did try to kill you a few times," the view is now on robin's face, "or did that only bother you a little bit?" with sarcasm.

Batman replies as the sparks reflect in the safety shield he is wearing; the shimmering light creates shadows on parts of robin's face, "Because, he's not so different from you or I."

"Well, I haven't tried to kill you. Yet," folds his arms and waits for a smile or laugh or some facial expression of amusement from Bruce that never comes.

"If Catwoman can take you, so can I," he lifts the shield and inspects a long tube that looks like a weapon, "the Joker is insane. Poison Ivy is psychotic, but Clayface is misguided and fell into the wrong crowd. He was wronged and tried to avenge that. Not so far off from what you almost came to doing to Zucco. For some there is always a chance for redemption; can you honestly say you would deny him it?"

"That may be, but what if he doesn't want it?"

Batman snaps on a compartment cover and holds the tube up; he presses a button and some bars glow blue, illuminating his face, "Time will wait."


	4. Chapter 4

Daggett walks through the halls of his office building, Raymond Bells in tow, listening to the head-mounted police scanner.

"And I want the rest of the air ducts outside welded shit with grills. And I want a security officer at every window around my location. There are only so many ways Batman can get in here. If he wants to get in, he's gonna have to earn it," he turns around after hearing no reply, "are you paying attention?"

"Yes, sir. There's a bank being robbed."

"Is it one of mine?" asks Daggett.

"No."

"Then never mind it," he opens the door to his office and walks in, "it's only a matter of time before Mr. Hagen decides to pay me a visit. I want a hermetically sealed chamber installed below the floor to my office door. When he falls through the trap door in, we'll leave him in there until he suffocates. I want you to … Bell?"

Bell walks in.

"If you weren't so useful, I'd have tossed you out the window by now. Did you even hear what I just said?" asks Daggett.

The scene changes to a large dinner party. The special room was decorated carefully and filled with guests. Daggett, Bell and Germs stand in a corner alone.

Daggett speaks in a moderate tone, below the room decibel level of the guests, "You two could at least pretend like you are enjoying yourselves. It makes my share holders suspicious when you just stand there."

"Sorry, Mr. Daggett," says Germs.

"There are famous movie stars here; I want you to mingle."

Bell replies while adjusting the dial on the headset, "I'm not really one for movies."

"Is there any word yet?" asks Daggett.

"We still don't have them," he fiddles with the tuning knob.

"Damnit! I want those papers back. If Thorne thinks I'll let him get away with them," points, then, then looks around and realizes he's drawn the attention of a couple party goers and lowers his voice, "I want someone to go in there and take them."

Germs comments, "His security is too tight. The guards don't let in anybody they don't recognize."

"What we need is a master of disguise…" Daggett thinks; just then Matthew Hagen catches his eyes, "bingo. Come on," he singles and approaches Matt.

"Mr. Hagen, it's a pleasure to meet you. I'm a big fan of _Lone Cowboy_."

"Thanks."

"How are you enjoying my part?"

"Yours? Oh – Mr. Daggett; I didn't recognize-"

"It's okay. You seem unhappy. What's wrong?"

"What's wrong? I'm being ousted by talentless punks! That's what's wrong. You get a few wrinkles and suddenly you aren't worth the ink on the paper."

Daggett rubs his chin, "Wrinkles, huh? Mr. Hagen, have you heard of a new product called Renu-U? It literally makes those wrinkles vanish."

Matt gulps down the last of the drink and slams the cup into the garbage, shattering it.

"I'm sorry. It really gets me, you know. Wrinkles!"

Daggett smirks, "Did you just hear what I said?"

Daggett turns around in his office, in present time, to Bell.

Bell takes off the headphones, "Perfectly," and he morphs into Clayface; growing two heads taller.

An arm shoots out from Clayface and clasps around Daggett's mouth as he yells, "HEL-", and slams him against a wall.

…

Gordon and Batman stand on the roof of the adjacent building.

"Think he'll show?"

"Clayface needs the satisfaction of revenge. He'll show."

Gordon shivers a bit, "It's freezing out here. Don't you ever get cold?"

"I'm wearing Super Thermal B Long underwear," he presses a button on his walkie-talkie, "how it look?"

Robin walks around, and replies, from inside Daggett's building, "Very expensive. A couple guards, few cameras; not much."

"You think you can handle it?"

"Did I just pass up a perfectly good opportunity to make a pun? Just leave them to me. Robin out."

Gordon looks at him, "You must have some shopping list."

…

Robin sneaks quietly down a hall; at the end there are two guards on both sides of the exit, each carrying a tommy gun. He reaches behind his back and his hands emerge – both holding something.

"Hey!" he shouts; they turn around and in that very second he shoves his hands down their coat pockets, "Here you go!"

"Ay!" one of them says.

"What the…" the other exclaims.

They reach into their pockets quickly in fear of a weapon and each find a small black ball. Both balls erupt in shooting smoke.

"Ehhh…" they both fall to the ground unconscious.

Robin proceeds in. He looks back briefly, "You two do know there's no smoking in here, right?"

…

"Bullock, everything okay down there?"

Bullock presses the button on his walkie-talkie, "Five-by-five, commish. No sign of suspicious activity yet. Bullock out," lowers the walkie-talkie, "man, I wish there were some doughnuts."

…

"How about you, old friend?" Jim asks Batman.

Batman eyes the windows on the building with a pair of binoculars. He sees Robin pass by and give him a thumbs up, then continue out of view.

…

Daggett regains consciousness; his eyes are blurry but he soon sees quite clearly Clayface, below him. He realizes he is on the ceiling.

Clayface looks at him, "I should reach down your throat, into your lungs, and flood your intestines with myself. An almost poetic kind of justice."

"Please – whatever you want, you can have it. Five million … _ten_ million dollars. I'll get down on my knees."

"Do you know what it's like? Being held down while chemicals are poured down your throat and your lungs filling up until you can't breathe … knowing you only have seconds to say your good-byes, thinking that this is it – you're going to die. Have you ever tried breathing, but could not draw breath?"

…

Robin walks around the corner and sees Bell on the floor. He brings the walkie-talkie to his mouth, "Batman, Daggett's scanner guy is out cold."

"It's going down now! Stay there!" he pulls out his grappling hook and presses the button. POOM, WOEW! It stops unraveling and he pulls on it to make sure it's taut, then leaps away.

Gordon watches him, "I can do that, I just don't want to," he brings the walkie-talkie up, "Bullock!"

…

"To think, the very machine that will be my salvation, shall be your undoing. The only part missing is you _begging & pleading_ to stop. Huh?" he looks out the big office windows just in time to see Batman's cape fly by. He retracts his hand until it melts away like cheese from a glob holding Daggett to the roof. He grins, "Stick around…"

…

Bullock slams his fists onto the security guard's desk in the lobby, "I don't give a damn about your permission! Clayface is up there and about to make your boss extinct; not that I have a problem with that. Now, you call up there to your boss's floor and tell them to clear out!"

Officers race by and run up the steps.

…

Robin jolts his head around, "Is that you?"

A figure steps from around the corner; it's Batman, "Yes. Stand to the side – I don't want you to get hurt."

Robin moves aside and waits.

…

Clayface tilts his head and listens, "I think we have company. I always make it's a _point_ to make people feel welcomed," his big fingers on his right hand melt together and grow into a three foot razor sharp point, gleaming metallic.

The doorknob turns slowly. Clayface aims.

"Not until I tell you," and Batman opens the doors and runs in. Just as he comes to s stop, the razor point that had been streaking across the room runs him threw the heart, out his back, and the point impales him to the wall. His head and body falls limp.


	5. Chapter 5

Blood runs from around the wound; Clayface draws the body back toward him. The point slips out of the wall, bringing pieces of drywall with it, and leaving blood stains.

As his arm retracts, Clayface comments, "So this was the great Batman whom beat me twice. Saved lives, foiled evil doers, helped the common man. I've picked him and he does indeed bleed," the arm stops with Batman inches away from his face, "let's see who's behind the mask," he grabs the ears and rips the mask off, "what the-"

He looks at the face of himself, Matt Hagen. The face looks up.

"Agh!" his arms stream out; Matt morphs into Clayman. Clayman starts sucking the arm with the spike running through him, in.

"Traitor!" Clayface's left hand elongates and turns silver, forming scissors. He cuts his arm off and regrows a new hand.

"No, I am helping us!" he lunges forward and grabs Clayface by the shoulders; Clayface does the same and they struggle, "Now!"

Robin runs in as Clayface's back is turned to the door; he carriers a ladder with him. Clayface turns his head and starts to pull away.

"_**Daggett's**__** mine!!!**_"

Clayman grows two more arms under his own and wraps them around Clayface's legs, holding him in place. Robin raises the latter and uses the post ends to break away the dried clay holding Daggett to the ceiling, starting at the legs.

Clayface's hands pop up in the shape of giant razor blades, sheering Clayman's arms off. Clayman's stomach thrusts out like the pour of a water facet and runs into Clayface.

Clayface lifts his head and clenches his teeth, while his eyes form evil, "**_You can't stop me!_**"

The lights cut off and a police search light shines into the room, creating contrast in shapes on Clayface's head, making him appear evil.

"Batman will hlep us -- don't let hate shape you; shape it until it has nowhere to fit."

Clayface looks up and notices Daggett is one, "**_AGH!!!_**" he stumbles back, knocking over the guest chair and crashing into Daggett's desk; items fly, "**_GET OUT OF ME!!!_**"

Clay flails about and shoots out like water unheaved from raindrops. They tumble around, shapes forming and them deforming on the mass. Colors change, faces appear and disappear. Arms appear and grab on, then other arms.

"Matt Hagen," comes a voice.

The lumpy deformed mass of the two battling inside each other look over; eyes circle around the head and a mouth appears, with pieces of clay hanging from the gape like stretched hot cheese.

"Keep away, Batman! I won't be denied my justice!" teeth form in random spots on his body and an eye widens among the others.

"Patricia loves you!"

"What?!"

The blue glow fom the power bars on the tube weapon illuminate Batman's face, "And she misses you," he says as he approaches.

The mass quiets and settles briefly and Clayface looks down, "Patricia..." he looks back up and sees Batman aiming the weapon. He fires. Liquid spews all over Clayface; heavy smoke comes off it. Batman moves in still spraying as teeth form in a crocked mouth on Clayface, and he reaches for Batman. Cracking sounds emanate from his mass and he comes to a stop.

"Liquid nitrogen. It will keep you suspended and unable to hurt me or yourself until a way can be found to fix you. I meant what I said -- I am going to help you. The fix won't be over night, but it will come," he places a hand on clayface after stopping the spraying, to check the surface tension, "there is still hope for Matt Hagen and there is always hope for love. Next time you wake up, it will be a new day."

He lowers the weapon and deactivates it.


	6. Chapter 6

Bruce and Dick sit at the long diner table; Alfred sets down a plate in front of Dick, then heads for Bruce.

"I still can't believe I actually saved Rolland Daggett. Tell me again what good that does."

"Daggett's companies and subsidiaries employ a substantial amount of Gotham's workforce. Wait long enough and someone will inherit the company; maybe he'll even drive it bankrupt and Wayne Industries can make an offer," he wraps the napkin bib around his neck.

"Hopefully one he can't refuse. So you really think Clayface was worth it?" asks Robin.

"There is good in him, but I don't think he'd have found it without intervention. Even now, I'm not so sure."

Alfred ads, "I wager it will take a lot of soul searching."

"To him he's not even a man; a soulless thing."

The view passes a security guard at a desk waving good-bye to someone. The desk says "Wayne Enterprises" on it. The angle goes left and up to the door which reads: Cryogenics Storage Room 2; the view fades into the dark room where there are vertical tubes with big glass windows on top. One glows a soft blue.

"You think he can ever be Matt Hagen again?" asks Robin.

The view fades to a close-up of the glass. Behind it Clayface reaching out, crocked mouth agape and three mishapen eyes scattered on his head, and the look of helplessness.

"Time will wait."

-FIN-


End file.
